1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage and dispensing apparatus for dispensing cup lids for high volume users such as fast food restaurants and the like.
2) Description of Related Art
In the restaurant industry, including fast food, convenience store, and other locations that offer fountain drinks, coffee, and the like, it is common to have a stack of cups and lids for consumers to use. Cups are typically stacked inside each other so that the sterilization of the interiors of the cup can be maintained during shipping, storage, and dispensing as the interior of the cup is protected by the adjacent cup. However, lids are another story.
The lid is typically stored in a tray, tubular dispenser or other such article where the consumer comes in contact with the underside or top of the lid of the adjacent lid when retrieving the primary lid for use. This can result in undesirable material transfer from the consumer to the adjacent lid. For example, the influenza virus may be transferred by several methods including contact with contaminated objects. As reported by the Center for Disease Control, an infected person will frequently touch their nose or conjunctiva, placing virus on the hand which can then be transferred to objects such as the adjacent lid of a lid dispenser.
There have been some attempts to provide lid dispensers that improve on the open tray method such as with U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,220 that discloses a sanitized dispenser for use with plastic lids with the tubular housing opened at a downward terminal end where lids are retrievable through a finger opening in the side of the tubular housing. By its design, the consumer placed his or her finger in contact with the desired lid and can also contact the adjacent lid. Additionally, the lid that is to be dispensed is unprotected from its environment. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,643,334 and 5,328,052 also includes these disadvantages.
There are also other devices that can automatically dispense lids, but none are well suited for use by the consumer for the now popular self-serve drink machines as are commonly found in restaurants. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,441 is a device that is a post drink dispensing system in combination with soft drink ingredients, ice, cup and lid and in a carousel arrangement to quickly move multiple cups through an arc.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cup lid dispensing system that protects the lid from physical contact when an adjacent lid is retrieved by a user.
It is another object of the present invention to provide to a cup lid dispensing system that protects the lid from an open environment.